Trevor Vickers honoured as a State Cultural Treasure, recognising his lifetime of achievement as an abstract painter

Perth, Western Australia: Renowned abstract painter Trevor Vickers has been honoured at the prestigious State Cultural Treasure Awards, celebrating his lifelong dedication and remarkable contribution to the visual arts in Western Australia.

One of Australia’s most highly regarded painters, Vickers is known for his minimalist abstract style, charactrised by clean geometric forms and a harmonious interplay of colour and space.

His 60-year career spans the seminal 1968 exhibition ‘The Field’ at the National Gallery of Victoria, active participation in Melbourne’s avant-garde art scene in the 1960s and 70s, practice development in France and England in the 1980s and 90s, the release of his first monograph in 2016 and the foundation of Art Collective WA in 2013.

A leading figure in hard edged abstraction, Trevor’s distinctive chromatic colour-field paintings have been collected by all of Australia’s significant institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, Nationl Gallery of Victoria, Queensland Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia and Artbank.

Felicity Johnston, director of Art Collective WA:

Trevor Vickers is truly a master of his craft, and we are delighted to see him recognised with this important award. At 81, he continues to create some of the finest paintings in the country, showcasing his exceptional skill and nuanced command of colour, honed over a lifetime.

Coinciding with Vickers’ appointment as a State Cultural Treasure is a new initiative to preserve his legacy: the ‘Trevor Vickers Living Artist Estate’. Coordinated by Art Collective WA, this significant project involves working with Trevor to archive his life’s work and ensure his paintings are accessible to future generations.

To fund this vital project, Art Collective WA has launched an Australian Cultural Fund campaign with the aim of raising $20,000 to professionally catalogue more than 800 works.

This meticulous process involves documenting the story behind each painting, carrying out conservation works, as well as valuing and storing the works and planning for future acquisitions and donations to public and private collections. The Living Artist Estate campaign runs until 31 March, and donations are fully tax-deductible.

Art Collective WA is an artist-run, not-for-profit organisation that supports and promotes the work of established Western Australian artists, through exhibitions, artist talks, publications, and representation at international art fairs.

The ongoing project is an extension of Art Collective WA’s commitment to safeguarding the legacy of significant Western Australian artists and their contribution to Australian art history.

An artist-owned, non- profit organisation founded in 2013, Art Collective WA has an annual program of more than 15 exhibitions, alongside a range of projects designed to promote the careers of significant artists, including attending national and international art fairs, publishing artist monographs and recording artists’ stories for our online archive.

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